TRP: Larkin, Roddy and Theo (Magpie)
Glimmerton day 344. Roddy held tight to Theo's hand as they headed down the path to Glimmerton. "Now you need to stay in sight and don't run off," he lectured. "I'm gonna get in a lot of trouble if I lose you so don't do that." Coyote Theo nodded, barely paying attention to Roddy. There were people in town. Doing things. There was a baker setting out fish pies and cakes, a blacksmith hammering on an anvil outside, a group of kids playing with little glass marbles in the street. She watched, riveted, and one kid flicked a tiny glass marble across the dirty, hitting another marble. She glanced up at Roddy, eyeing him. Abby Roddy kept a firm grasp on her hand but was already looking at the baker instead of Theo. Grey hair, sour expression-- had to be her. "Melody!" He said cheerfully. "Whats good today?" "Everythings good," she grunted. "You gonna buy or talk?" "You know a smile never hurt anything to smile," Roddy chided. "You stay," he said firmly to Theo, letting go to dig for his money. "Do you want something?" He asked, looking down cause for some reason he was having trouble finding his money in the haversack. "Just point it out to Melody if you do." Coyote Theo nodded distractedly, not really paying Roddy any mind. Two of the kids had scales, and snouts, and sharp curving teeth. One had a tail and one didn’t. Both were pretty much identical. Theo leaned down and put her hand flat on one’s back, feeling the scales. They were smooth, like a snake’s, not dry and raspy. The kid jumped up and whirled around. “Hey!” Theo fumbled apologetically, motioning, Sorry! Abby Roddy looked up and Theo was gone. Goro was gonna kill him. "Uh sorry not today Melody-- Theo! The-- oh there you are," he said, relieved. Oh and he was pretty sure he recognized those dragonborne too! "I see you met Luli and Liwei," he said. "Hello yoh two, having fun? This is Theo, my..." Oh how would Roddy describe his and Theos relationship? "Well I'm not sure but shes family." Hey maybe this'd be good for Theo too! She could use friends her own age. Ish. Coyote Theo wasn’t sure which one was Luli and which was Luwei. She stared, eyes narrow, sizing them up. She made a jerking motion with her hands. What are they? Abby "Oh their twins," Roddy said. "Haven't you met any twins before...?" The two young dragonborne were looking at each other, confused. Oh right they didn't know Nighthand. "Theo cant talk," Roddy explained, forming the Nighthand words as he spoke. "So she talks with her hands, like this!" Coyote Theo started to sign, then stopped, frustrated. She wasn’t sure what the words for scales and snake where. She’d never needed them. Instead, she waggled her hands up and down. She pointed to their funny dragon ears and spines. What? What is this? What’s with them! The kids stared at her. Abby Roddy also stared at her. What did she mean... Oh wait. Maybe Theo hadn't met any dragonborne before? "You mean what race they are?" He asked. "Their dragonborne. The scales and horns and stuff is just part of who they are." Coyote Theo stared at them a while, eyes still narrowed. Then she took a small chalkboard out of her pocket and scribbled on it: What do you eat? Like, people food? She showed it to the kids. Abby The two exchanged a glance. The one with tail edged behind the other. "What else would we eat?" The other asked, in accented Common. Coyote Theo considered this. They had a good point. She gave them a grudging nod, then wiped the slate off. She glanced down at the marbles, then up at Roddy with sad eyes, then over to the food saleswoman. I want to play marbles, she signed at Roddy. No shopping. Abby Roddy hesitated, glancing at the bakery and then back at Theo. "First, lets ask these two all right?" He turned to the two dragonborn. "Theo would like to play marbles with you two, is that okay?" They muttered back and forth in Draconic for a second before turning back to Roddy and Theo. "She may stay," Lulu said. "Now youre going to stay right here and not run off, all right? If they have to leave you hang,out with Melody till I get back," Roddy said sternly. Coyote Theo eyed Roddy, trying to decide if it was okay to lie to Roddy or not. Goro said lying was okay if you had to lie. Roddy, she decided, was not Goro, and thus could be lied to. Theo nodded to Roddy and said Sure, whatever like she understood. Abby Roddy had the nagging feeling this was a bad idea. He ignored it. "All right, you three have fun now!" He said, patting Theo on the head. "I'll drop by your place later this week for practice," he said to the twins. "Now don't get in trouble without me." He said, and then turned away to go back to his errands. Melody was using a frankly appaling flyswatter to chase the bugs away from her wares. Really how she even stayed in buisness Roddy would never know. He decided to avoid her and headed down the street to the blacksmith. Did he have an errand there? No. But Ferdinand had a very pleasant temperament and Roddy greatly enjoyed chatting with him. Coyote Theo patiently waited until Roddy was gone. Then, once he was out of sight, she bent and played marbles for a while. But that was boring, and the other kids beat her. Besides— the idea of escaping Roddy was neat. She bet she could hide from him for a real long time. She could be stealthy, like Aunt Larkin. She hustled down the street, ducking around corners and hiding behind crates. Some people gave her funny looks, but most of them didn’t, so she figured she was mostly invisible. Then she spotted the well. Oh man. She bet she could hide there a VERY long time. Theo skirted around it, then— as stealthily as possible— grabbed the lip and slipped over the side. She gripped the edge tightly, stifling snickers that came out as painful little coughs. But eventually, her— fingers started to hurt. A lot. Roddy hadn’t come looking for her yet. She tried to shift and pull herself back up, but her arms hurt and she wasn’t strong enough. She could hear people passing by. She opened her mouth to call out, but nothing came out, just a hoarse croak. Theo coughed. No one paid attention. Angry and scared, she let go with one hand and banged the side of the well, slapping the stone. Someone up above paused, then kept walking. Letting go with one hand was a mistake. Theo’s other hand slipped, and she fell into the well with a strangled gasp. Her back hit the water. She scrambled, terrified of drowning, but her feet touched ground. The well water was only three feet deep. Theo sniffled miserably. Abby Glimmerton wasn't that big, but when Roddy stopped to talk to just about everyone along the way-- it took him a while to finish his errands. And then he got back and Theo was gone. Okay so he went to ask Melody, because that's where he told Theo to stay once she was done playing with the twins, but she wasnt there either. Thats when Roddy realized Goro was gonna kill him. "Theo! THEO!" He yelled frantically. Surely she was nearby, surely she would hear him and come running over. Nope. "Little missy if you don't get over here this instant we are both in so much trouble!" He yelled. What if she was hurt. What if she was hurt and she couldn't cry out and-- and Roddy was gonna buy her her own sending bead or something because this was the worst. Well he started asking around, and a few people recognized the description and pointed this way or that way. Still nothing. He came to a stop close to a well. Goro had that locate person spell. He'd kill Roddy but at least they'd find Theo. "C'mon Theo," Roddy called, one last time. "Please tell me your safe." Jen "Hey, Roddy," Larkin called. She leaned out of the cutlery's upper story window, waving to him across the square. "What's going on?" Abby Roddy shrieked and jumped. "Larkin! Don't sneak up on me like that." She was across the square and no where near him. He ignored that. "I lost Theo!" he yelled, making no effort to come closer. "I lost Theo and Goro's gonna kill me and I'm gonna deserve it. What if she's hurt? Or dying?? Please tell me you saw her! I don't know where else to look!" Jen Larkin grimaced but she held up both hands, making a shushing motion. "Okay, okay. Nah, I haven't seen her but it's probably fine. Wait." She disappeared from the window to join Roddy out on the street. Abby Roddy paced back and forth, calling for Theo a few more times while Larkin hurried over to join him. "Hey you're good at finding people right?" he asked as soon as she was within not-yelling earshot. "You can find her right??" Jen "Uhh, maybe? Listen, Roddy." She started to pat him on the arm but halted, not knowing if he'd appreciate it. "We're not gonna find her by freaking out, sooo..." She took a deep breath in and out. "Where'd you last see her?" Abby "Over there, playing marbles with the Ruan twins-- do you know them? Their the dragonborn family, just moved here-- I'm rambling. She didn't want to run errands with me so I thought it'd be good if she got to play with kids a bit so I left her, and if they had to run off to home or something she was supposed to stay with Melody the baker. Only she wasn't there, and she wasn't with Melody, and I've been calling for her but I can't find her and I'm freaking out!" Jen Larkin nodded along, paying less and less attention as the word count increased. She patted Roddy on the arm, feeling certain he needed it, then pointed to the well. "Have you looked in there?" Abby Roddy sputtered to a halt. No he hadn't. And then he was off again. "I haven't but if she's in there she's drowned. I killed Theo," he wailed, pulling his hat down to cover his eyes. "You look. I can't." Jen Well, fuck. She hadn't considered if Theo could swim. Larkin turned on her heel and ran to the well, stopping at the rim to abruptly she almost tilted over. Coyote Theo heard shouting up above. Sounded like Roddy. He sounded... freaked out. Theo hunched her shoulders. Her stomach felt like it was in knots. If they found her, they were going to be angry at her, like that one time she wandered off in the market and made Momma late and Momma was angry. She heard footsteps approaching the well, so she slunk down, hiding her head behind the bucket. Jen "Theo!" Larkin shouted down. It was dark in the well but she could make out the shape of something bigger than a bucket. "Theo, are you alright?" Coyote Theo lifted her head and scowled at Larkin. Then she jerkily gestured: I’m fine. She found a gap in the stones and grabbed hold, then started scrambling up the side of the well. She crawled back out, kicking and scrambling at the stones as she dropped onto the ground. She scowled. Abby Larkin was talking like Theo was fine, and Roddy heard other noises to. So he tenatively peeked through his fingers-- and there she was. Safe and sound. "Theo!" he cried, running over and scooping her up. "Oh thank goodness. You're safe. And wet." He made no move to let her go though, she was safe. He was gonna take a second to just hold her. That could have gone really badly. Jen Larkin reached up and stroked Theo's soggy hair. "The fuck were you doing down there? Someone throw you down, or...?" Coyote Theo frowned, eyes shifting between them. They... weren’t mad? Oh. Theo squirmed to get an arm free to talk. I was training, she bragged. I’m stealthy. Abby Roddy wasn't about to put Theo down-- but he shifted her around so she could talk. "Training?!" he squawked. "Training is when you have someone who knows what their doing make sure you don't-- don't do things like fall down wells! You could have drowned!" Jen "Yeah," Larkin said, "Dead people technically make no noise but that ain't being stealthy." Coyote Theo scoffed. I went in on purpose. I got out on my own. Abby "Still! I was freaked out! I still think I am a bit! I knew I shouldn't have left you-- really I shouldn't have brought you out of the castle on my own like this." This was why Roddy was not trusted to have Theo on his own. "What do you think Goro's gonna say about this huh?" Coyote Theo hunched her shoulders and stared at her feet. She shrugged unhappily. Jen "Hey now, who's saying we're gonna tell Goro?" Larkin reached out to take Theo off Roddy and set her on her feet. "Nothing happened, all's good. That stick-in-the-ass doesn't need to know, right?" Abby "Doesn't-- of course he needs to know!" Roddy instinctively herded Theo closer to himself, glaring at Larkin. "Theo's his responsibility! How's he supposed to take care of her if I don't tell him what's going on!" Coyote Theo’s eyes shifted between them silently. She felt like if Goro found out later, he’d be madder. That happened sometimes with Momma. She didn’t want Goro to be mad. What if he didn’t want her anymore? Jen "What's going on is that Theo's completely fine. What's Goro gonna do about it anyway? Travel back in time and catch her?" Abby "Well-- I don't know exactly but dad-type stuff for sure!" Coyote They both seemed very invested in arguing. Theo stared at them. She wrapped her arms around Larkin’s waist and leaned her head into Larkin, still staring at Roddy, chewing her lip. Goro will yell, she signed, still sulking. Then, Momma always got madder when I lied or hid things. Jen "Nah." Larkin hugged Theo and patted her head. "He's not gonna." Which Larkin didn't strictly know was true but eh, it sounded better than he might. "If he yells, I'll just yell back, okay?" Abby "Hey!" Roddy protested. What he was protesting-- he wasn't entirely sure. Theo'd mentioned Jasmilia. Roddy didn't think that was a good sign. "Listen," he said firmly, crouching down to be closer to Theo's eye level. "Your Momma was an awful, awful mom. Goro might yell but it'd be cause he loves you and wants you to be safe okay? But also not hiding things is... probably better too." Coyote Theo squinted at Roddy, and then at Larkin. This all seemed pretty fucking suspicious. She nodded grudgingly, allowing that perhaps it might be true, still clinging to Larkin. She let go of Larkin. Since Roddy was crouched down to her level, she clambered on top of him, then settled herself comfortably on his shoulders. Jen "Okay, fine, let's go snitch to Goro." Larkin rolled her eyes but said it with a smile. "Ooor-" she held up a hand. "We could do that later and someone comes with me learn how to make knives." She tilted her head at the cutlery behind her. The Glimmerton Redbirds spent all day repairing equipment and having petty fights with the watch. They'd love the distraction that was little whirlwind Theo. Abby "You do realize Theo has just fallen down a well. It's already been an exciting day, maybe later would be a good day for knives," Roddy said. "What do you say Theo? Go home and get the yelling or whatever over with, and then a nice bath huh?" he said, patting her leg. Coyote Theo shook her head vehemently, already scrambling down Roddy. Jen Larkin held out a hand for Theo to take. "Let's get her dried up first. And when she's done 'n covered in weapon oil it's gonna be an even better day for a bath." Abby Roddy hesitated. Really there probably wasn't any harm in not heading right back to the castle... but then he'd thought that about letting her stay back and play marbles. Well it should be fine if he just kept an eye on her this time. Hopefully. "All right but I'm coming too," he insisted. "I have let you out of my sight once today and that's enough." Coyote Theo smirked. Jen "Yeah, fine. You can come as well." She turned to wink at Roddy. "Learn a thing or two?" Abby "I'm a bard I don't need to know how to make knives," Roddy said haughtily. Coyote Theo frowned at Roddy and crossed her arms. Jen Larkin shrugged. "Suit yourself." Abby "Yes, I am," Roddy grumbled. "Oh don't give me that look Theo. C'mon you wanna learn to make knives? Let's run along and get you taught." Coyote Theo nodded, pleased. She took Larkin’s hand and followed her. Jen --- "Alright," Larkin said and set the last pieces of equipment on the work table. The Redbirds in the shop had joined them, slinking along the walls and in and out of the work room's doorways, giving them curious looks. Even Cat had come down, though insisting he wasn't interested in babysitting. "So first thing we gonna do is decide what kinda knife you want." Larkin pulled a sheet of paper from under the pile and handed it Theo along with a piece of charcoal. "A machete," someone in the back piped up and earned a few chuckles. Abby "Hey! Theo needs something her size thank you very much," Roddy called back at the heckler. These Redbirds. Honestly. He settled back in the corner he'd claimed as his own, crossing his arms. How long did making a knife take anyway, now that he thought about it. Coyote Theo fumbled with her hands. She knew the word for knife, but she didn’t think there were more specific words for more specific types of knives. She shook her head at the machete suggestion. She motioned at her wrist and motioned something popping out, then mimed stabbing forward with her arm. Jen Larkin snickered. "You wanna stab a fucker, yeah?" Abby Roddy shifted uneasily. Hopefully Theo wouldn't have to. But well, it would be handy if she did have to so he didn't say anything, for now. Coyote Theo shifted uneasily. She wasn’t sure she wanted to stab a fucker. She had never even seen someone get stabbed before. The only people she’d seen die were in the attack on the Sanctuary. And even then, Immanuel had been... nice to her, and kept her away from things. Thinking about people getting stabbed reminded her of her dad lying in bed, his bulk soaked in blood, staring vacantly at the ceiling. She wanted Larkin to think she was cool, though. She nodded hesitantly. Jen "Y'know," Larkin said. "Springblades are cool 'n shit but people've stabbed themselves with 'em." She pointed a thumb over her shoulder. "Ask Karl." In the back, the man indicated huffed and hid his hands behind his back. "How 'bout we start with something more, uhm... basic?" Coyote Theo shrugged and nodded. She watched Larkin intently. Jen "A kitchen knife," someone in the back muttered. "For makin' turtle soup." Abby "Hey!" Roddy yelled, sitting up straighter. "First of all I am a tortle and second of all, how sure are you you could actually take me huh? I'm a pretty powerful bard, I've helped kill all kinds of monsters. What have you done, shanked a peasant or two?" Coyote Theo whipped around at the same time. She hopped up off her chair and jabbed her finger at the man who’d spoken. Jen He raised his hands, one of them missing a finger. "Oh, woah there. I'm just makin' fun, no?" He chuckled but looked decidedly less sure than he sounded. Larkin picked up a piece of wood and threw it at him. "Shut the fuck up." Abby "Well you might live longer if you think a bit more about who you make fun of," Roddy said acidly. At least Larkin was on his side here too. Honestly Roddy did not know what to expect from her. He got up and gently attempted to herd Theo back to Larkin, and the knives. "Thank you for sticking up for me, but really why don't we hurry up and get your knife so we can head home, hm?" Jen The man grumbled something intelligible and shoved his way out of the room. "Don't mind Karl," someone else said. "He's a dick." They'd all laughed, though. Larkin ignored them and turned back to Theo. She picked up a piece of thick sheet metal and put it down in front of her. "This is your knife in the making. You gotta draw it on so we can saw out the shape." Coyote Theo surveyed the sheet. She pulled out a knife she’d stolen from the castle, measured it against her hand, then put her hand down on the metal. She traced out something that seemed about the right size. Satisfied, she looked up at Larkin. Jen Larkin watched the work of Theo's little hands. Precise lines, for an eight year old, and crafty with the hand-measuring. "Nice," she said when Theo was done and took the metal from her. She secured it in the vice mounted on the workbench. "Here." Larkin took up a metal saw and wrapped Theo's fingers around the handle. "You gotta saw out the shape now. Don't go over the lines or it'll get wobbly, yeah?" Coyote Theo started to saw the shit out of the metal. She scowled when she accidentally went too far out of the lines— several times. Eh. It was probably fine. She turned them into little points to give the dagger teeth. Jen Larkin started to give suggestions- no, no, too far, saw a little that way, hold the saw differently- but quickly gave it up. Theo had too much fun mutilating the metal to care. Frankly, it was adorable to watch (even if it meant wasting perfectly good material). "Hey Theo," Larkin said at that thought. "Does anyone ever give you, like, pocket money?" Coyote Theo dug around in her pocket. She pulled out the tiny coin purse Goro gave her. The purse was too full, currently. Theo liked the shiny coins and hated spending them. They were hers. Goro gave them to her every week because he liked her and she was good. She wanted them. She also pulled out a couple other purses, too, with silver and copper coins, and a shiny thimble, and a small dirty amulet with a picture inside, as well as a little glass marble she’d stolen from Luwei. She set all the treasure on the table. Jen "Lookit that, we got us a little magpie here," came a comment from behind them. Most of the Redbirds had dispersed but two or three still had their fun watching Theo. "That's a Basha alright." Larkin gave a whistle and patted Theo on the head. "Not bad. Really. You saving up for something?" Coyote Theo shook her head. She was too embarrassed to admit she kept the coins from Goro because she liked them— she liked the weight, liked thinking This is how much he likes me. The other coins, she usually spent, though. She shrugged. Pastries, she motioned. And I like leaving them at the funny statues. Shrines. She was honestly stumped. What else did people do with money? She supposed she could buy marbles. Or... save up, and give people gifts. Jen "Y'know, I suppose you don't really need it, but if you want you could come work for me. Learn more cool stuff and get money for it." Abby Roddy's head snapped around from where he'd been looking out the window. "What did you just say?!" Jen "I said Theo can get money from me." Larkin frowned. "What, she's already got a lot." Abby "No no, the other bit. The 'work for you' bit. What... exactly do you mean by that?" Jen She shrugged. "Like... do stuff? I don't know, Roddy, I guess I'll find something she can do." Larkin paused, then sighed. "Man. If you think I'm gonna have her do what I had you do- no. Not happening." Abby Roddy's eyes narrowed. "Is that because she's too little to be able to win or cause you don't want to shove her out into fights?" Jen "What're you getting at, huh?" Abby "What I'm getting at is I don't trust you to keep Theo safe if she's 'working for you'." Jen Larkin scoffed. "I'm not the one who lost her in a well." Abby Roddy bristled. "Well-- well at least I was worried about her. You just thought I was hysterical!" Jen "Because you were." Abby Roddy made a frustrated noise and pointed at Larkin. "See! That is exactly what I mean. Theo is eight-- she's just a kid! She needs to be kept safe till she's older and better able to take care of herself!" Jen Larkin raised both eyebrows and glanced to her Redbirds as if making sure they were hearing the same thing. Cat had vanished and only two older kids were standing in a corner, watching and apparently trying very hard not to laugh. Larkin gave them a little shake of her head before turning back to Roddy. "Okay, man, don't make a fucking scene here, yeah? I also want to keep Theo safe, for fuck's sake. I just also want her to learn things." Abby "Of course I'm gonna make a scene! Have you met me!" Roddy yelled, flailing his arms around. Larkin was just so frustrating. And of course he was getting laughed at too. It stung but Roddy ignored it. "What's your idea of keeping Theo safe then hm? How close is she allowed to get to a rival gang member who's got a knife? Hm?!" Jen "You think I'm gonna risk her getting stabbed? How stupid you think I am?" Abby "Oh stupid, no I don't think your stupid. I think you're violent and reckless and so used to just murdering anybody who gets in your way you don't think that maybe, there's a better life out there for Theo!" Jen "Life's not what you wish it was, Roddy." Larkin crossed her arms and gave him a cold stare. "I don't want Theo to have my life but I want her to have the skills to survive it if she needs to." Abby "Skills are one thing but a job is another!" Roddy glared back. "What's wrong with just being Auntie Larkin who comes over and shows her how to pick locks, or break into places, or sneak around huh? Why do you gotta be her boss to teach her things?" Jen "I don't gotta." She rolled her eyes. "It's just a fucking offer. Calm down." Abby "Calm-- why should I calm down?! The fact you made the offer shows you're willing to follow through!" Jen "Of course I am." This time, she laughed. "What the fuck man. What's wrong with me giving Theo money for leaning with me?" Abby "The problem is I don't know what 'leaning with you' entails! But I sure don't think it'll be good for her!" Yelling probably wasn't either. Roddy glanced around, looking for said little girl they were arguing over. Coyote Theo edged towards the door. Jen "Well, good fucking thing you're just her babysitter. You don't get to decide what's good for her." Abby "Yeah well-- neither do you!" Roddy shot back. Theo was about to bolt, and he was done having this conversation with Larkin. "Theo, how about we head home and get you that bath now?" he said, holding his hand out. Coyote Theo huddled back behind Roddy, eyeing Larkin suspiciously. She wasn’t exactly sure what was going on, but— it reminded her of how Momma used to get mad. She hunched down, not looking at Roddy. She wanted to go take a bath now, but— if she said the wrong thing, or one of them didn’t like it— Jen "At least I'm not pretending I do." She looked down at Theo. She seemed scared. Yeah. They'd argued; kids hated that. "Anyway. Your knife's not done, Theo. You want me to finish it for you or do you wanna come back later?" Coyote Theo hesitated. Want to go home, she signed. She clung to Roddy’s shell. Jen "Hmm." Larkin took a step back, not sure if Theo's sudden shyness was her fault. Wasn't her who'd yelled, though. "Alright then. Wanna hug?" She spread her arms tentatively. Coyote Theo narrowed her eyes, considering this seriously. Then she edged out from behind Roddy and ran into Larkin’s arms, giving her a brief, hard, clingy hug. Jen Larkin bowed down while Theo clung to her and gave her a kiss on the head. Coyote Hm. This was good, Theo decided, satisfied. She clung for a moment more— Larkin was only a foot bigger than her, and nice and comfortable to hug— then let go. She scrambled up onto Roddy’s back without asking, finding handholds in his haversack and in the ridges of his shell. Abby It was unexpected, suddenly having Theo climbing up him like he was a tree. Roddy squawked and flailed his arms for a second, then reached back to make sure Theo was stable on his back. "All good?" he said, patting her leg. Coyote Theo dug her heels in like Roddy was a riding horse she was urging to go forward. Abby Roddy chuckled. Yeah, all good. He glanced over at Larkin. "I suppose I'll see you around," he said stiffly. Jen "Suppose so." Abby Right. Roddy nodded and headed out the door, making sure to duck so Theo didn't hit her head. "That's enough excitement for one day, hm?" he said. Back to the castle. Where they probably would both get yelled at. Well, that's what family was for. END Category:Text Roleplay